Ex-Mitty star Aaron Gordon is greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver after being picked by the Magic.

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

Ex-Mitty star Aaron Gordon is greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver...

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Andrew Wiggins of Kansas stops for a television interview after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the number one pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Thursday, June 26, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

In his one season of college basketball, former Mitty High standout Aaron Gordon obviously made a good impression.

Gordon, who averaged 12.4 points and 8.0 rebounds as an Arizona freshman last season, was taken with the No. 4 pick by the Orlando Magic on Thursday in the NBA draft. He was one of three players with Bay Area ties who were selected, joining Stanford's Josh Huestis (first round, No. 29 to Oklahoma City) and Dwight Powell (second round, No. 45 overall to Charlotte, then traded to Cleveland).

The 6-foot-9 Gordon said he wasn't surprised to be selected at No. 4, and reiterated that he was comfortable playing either small or power forward in the NBA.

"I'm most comfortable as a perimeter player, definitely. However I do love posting up," Gordon said. "But I'm very capable of blowing by people. And I trust my jumper a lot more than I did at Arizona. But when it comes down to it, it's all up to coach (Magic coach Jacque) Vaughn. ... It all comes down to where he wants to put me."

"As we went through the process, there were quite a few things that stood out about (Gordon) that we really grew to like," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. "Mainly his competitiveness, his desire to want to play team basketball, and to really try to impact the game in a variety of ways."

The Magic are coming off a 23-59 season and have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

That has created a win-starved fan base for which Gordon said he has a simple message.

"I'd just tell them that I have a motor," Gordon said. "And my motor will continue to run."

Milwaukee followed with another freshman, Duke forward Jabari Parker, who some consider the more NBA-ready player after an All-America season. Playing in Milwaukee puts him near his family in Chicago.

"I'm just very optimistic," Parker said. "If it was 1, 2, put me at 60, just getting that opportunity, getting that chance of being in the NBA."

Kansas freshman Joel Embiid - the presumptive No. 1 pick until he suffered a foot injury - went third to Philadelphia, drawing loud cheers from the many red-and-blue dressed 76ers fans who made the trip to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as well as from Philadelphia guard Michael Carter-Williams, last season's Rookie of the Year who was sitting on the arena floor level.

The 76ers had two top-10 picks and could afford to take a chance on Embiid, the big man who may have ended up the top prize despite his lone season at Kansas ending early because of a bad back. But once the foot injury popped up during workouts, leaving his NBA debut uncertain after surgery, the two teams at the top passed.

It was considered a deep draft, with top-level talent stretching toward the bottom of the lottery picks and perhaps beyond. After Gordon went to Orlando, Australian guard Dante Exum was chosen by Utah.

"You got Doug McDermott (drafted by Denver, traded to Chicago) scoring 3,000 points. Shoot, you got Julius Randle went to the national championship. Shabazz Napier won two national championships," Parker said. "I mean, we're all good. We're all great players."